Layers

This is a system module for inserting an item into the site structure tree where you can construct/create and manage information blocks and group them into virtual, horizontal “layers”. Each “layer” can have up to 4 different blocks.

Blocks (in a layer) can be excerpts from system modules (e.g., displaying the last 4 news entries from a specific module or the 4 most popular e-shop products) or can be locally managed text (RTE) blocks. Layers are visible one after another, and their order (as well as the order of blocks within a layer) can be changed.

Basic module functionality

Insertion, management in the structure tree, etc.

Inserted by administrators into the site tree through the creation menu in the site structure item or by selecting “Create sub-item” in the contextual structure tree management menu (see).

Can be inserted into any branch of the site tree.

The number of insertions is not limited.

Each insertion has its own settings and content independent of other insertions.

Module management and other functionality

In the settings of the inserted layers module (accessible from the context menu), you can:

Enter the menu item name.

Select the parent item, i.e., the branch where the current module is located.

Enter a heading. The heading is visible to visitors when they enter the layers module. If no heading is entered, it is not displayed, e.g., a global page heading is not needed on the homepage created from the layers module.

Enter an alternative name for creating addresses. If entered, it will be used instead of the one generated from the menu item name.

Enter a CMS name/comment. It will be visible as a small blue marker on the item in the menu tree branches.

Option to enable the use of a representative (general) Facebook SHARE image if Facebook cannot find a suitable one in the layers module (management).

Ability to enter additional SEO fields:

Additional browser window title.

Short description.

Keywords.

In the list of layers of the inserted layers module, you can:

See a list of created layers, where the top entry is the first layer in the list, this layer is visible on the site as the first (topmost) layer.

Above the list is visible:

Link to create a new layer - “New layer”.

Link to the installation settings of this module - “Settings”.

Link to the general site structure tree - “Structure”.

Preview link leading to the layers module on the site (opens in a new window).

The list entry shows:

The block type (see below) and the links assigned to it for its management. If there is one block in the layer (e.g., slides), it is displayed across the full width:

Example - 1 block in a layer

Respectively, if there are 2 - 4 blocks in the layer, they, along with their management links, are displayed in the layer:

Example - 4, 3, and 2 blocks in layers

If there are 2 or more blocks in the layer, arrows are displayed, which can be used to swap the blocks.

Publication (visibility) management - the ability to hide or show a specific layer publicly.

Layer order management - the ability to “move” a layer to another position.

Link (icon) leading to the editing of a specific layer (see below).

Link (icon) that deletes a specific layer.

Style setting - the ability to choose predefined background color settings for the layer. By default, a new layer's background is transparent to the site's background (setting - “None”).

In the inserted layers module's entry (layer) editing and, analogously, during the creation of a new layer, you can:

Assign a layer style setting. This is the ability to choose predefined background color settings for the layer. By default, a new layer's background is transparent to the general site background (setting - “None”).

Choose how many blocks will be in the layer - from 1 to 4. After selecting and saving, from 1 to 4 reserved editing zones with the names “1st layer block”, “2nd layer block”, etc., are created below.

Enter technical parameters (not necessary if you are not going to program design changes or create links with RTE anchor functionality), i.e., you can assign an ID and a class to the layer.

In the layer block zones (e.g., “1st layer block”), you can:

Enter a block name that will be visible only to administrators in the layer list.

Select the content type of a specific (e.g., “1st layer block”) block. By default, the displayed block is a text field with RTE. From the drop-down menu, you can select other types or inserted modules:

If “Eshop” is selected, you can additionally select the content type or catalog category and the desired number of entries to display in the layer block.

If one of the inserted article modules is selected, you can additionally select the desired number of module entries to display in the layer block.

If a simple text article or form is selected, what is entered in that module's management, in the “Summary” zone, will be displayed here.

Enter a block heading that is visible on the site.

Select the block width in percentages. If you want to have 3 blocks, the first of which will take up half the layer space on the site, and the other two will share the remaining half, you can enter 50% in the first block, and 25% in the remaining ones. Possible settings are 0, 25, 50, 75, 100. The % symbol is not needed. The symbol 0 = 100%. The total sum of the widths of the blocks in one layer must be 100 or 0. IMPORTANT! This setting may, in certain cases, be “overridden” by the programming design code to prevent “breaking” the predefined design.

Enter the block class. This is a technical style parameter, the values of which can be found.

Choose how many entries from the inserted modules with lists will be displayed. For example, the last 3 news items, if the block is assigned a news list, etc.

Module operation on the frontend side (what website visitors see)

The layers module can be used in various ways, for various purposes, and with various settings, so there can be many variations of how it will be displayed on the website.

The layers module is displayed analogously to the CMS schema, from the first layer to the last.

The layers module is visible to visitors and is placed where the site administrators have assigned or inserted it in the site structure. By clicking on such a menu item, visitors see a list of layers.

The layers module is most often used on the site's homepage and in places where it is necessary to display excerpts from other site modules or the content of the module's sub-items.

Additional information and recommendations

The height and style parameters of the layers module are very often controlled by the design's programming code, as this is usually required by the site's style.

Advanced functionality (installed individually)

Ability to assign an individual background to a specific layer - an image and a background color. This would be very helpful in creating presentational, individual, “mini-homepage” pages for sections.